Not By The Color Of Their Skin

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: I Have A Dream

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." DR. Martin Luther King Jr.

I was not raised up with any cause to resent African Americans. I have never, nor do I now, feel a need to discriminate against them in anyway. In regards to racial sensitivity, I guess I follow the command of Christ to treat all people the way I want to be treated. I do not see black people any differently then I see anyone else. People are people. I was taught to judge character not color. I feel I have been true to this creed. A creed that was made famous by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I believe character is the way we measure the value of a person. How we react to uncontrollable circumstances, persecution, and even success will define us. I don’t believe it is wrong to discriminate against bad character.

Having said this, I must point out that I have not seen a single character profile for Trayvon Martin. What kind of a teen was he? Was he a Christian? What type of people did he hang out with? Did he have a criminal history? Was he violent? The media has made it known that he was young (17) and black, that is all I know. I have been given nothing by which to judge his character. If this information is out there it has not been widely publicized. I would have to dig to find it. Trayvon may have been a wonderful young man, I hope he was. In like manner, who is George Zimmerman? Is their evidence that he is a terrible person of uncommon evil? What do we know about his character?

My point is that the media only wants me to look at the color of their skin not the content of their character. This to me is very suspicious and goes against my better Christian judgment. Knowing character brings understanding and balance when we need to judge a conflict.

I know human nature well enough to know there is good and bad in all of us. I get suspicious when people start turning ordinary people into saints and villains. This usually means there is something to be gained by the doing. Someone is usually selling something. What happened between George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin was a tragedy to be sure. However, after looking at the case I can see where both were wrong and right to varying degrees. The question I am asking is why has this case been promoted by National politicians when greater tragedies take place everyday unnoticed. What is the political gain and how will it effect our society? Is it the sort of change we want or will it leave us with less civil liberties? Will it make us safer or will it enslave us?

I'm not buying it.

What Is Really Going On Here?

By speaking out on the Trayvon Martin case, President Obama has made Martin a national mascot for racial hate crimes. By identifying himself with Trayvon, he has aligned himself with those who feel Zimmerman got away with murder.

Given the reality that this issue was already inflamed and knowing his opinion would make it explode. I can't help but wonder why he felt a need to chime in. What does he stand to gain by doing so?

In other news, United States Attorney General Eric Holder spoke at the NAACP’s annual convention in Orlando Tuesday. It was the first time he has spoken up on this issue. As it happens he was very critical of the stand your ground laws. Turns out that the majority of States in the US have similar laws that allow a citizen to use lethal force to defend themselves if need be.

Oh and look over here: Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Assistant Democratic Majority Leader, will conduct a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee panel on civil rights, a committee he just happens to chair. The panel will be reviewing the self-defense laws known as "stand your ground."

I am suspicious! I suspect that our national politicians are deliberately steering up outrage in order to accomplish a political agenda. I don't believe this issue is really about racial discrimination and I found Obama's sympathy for those who share his skin color a little to timely and convenient. If I had to guess, I would say this is really about persuading Americans to give up their guns.

After several discussion about current events, A friend of mine asked, where do we go from here? Whats next? A very important and critical question. I ask that we all be very careful how where proceed from here and consider the conclusions that we draw and the consequences those conclusions will bring. If this case has taught us anything it is that one voice can easily turn into several thousand in a very short time. Hitler used outrage to turn a nation against the Jews. Don't let our politicians use outrage to strip us of our right to defend ourselves.